Saturday, October 30, 2010

Little Bella-Boo came into our family a little over a year ago, about the day after I picked up this latest contract and left for parts unknown.

I didn't even know we had a new doggie, until I came home a couple weeks later and wondered what the hell did a raccoon come into my bathroom and crap all over the place ? ? ?

Bella was a Carolina RedBone CoonHound - an extremely rare breed, cousin of the Bloodhound, widely used for hunting bear, raccoon, and cougar in the Carolinas.

My daughter rescued Bella from a cardboard box on the side of the road by Jerry's Quickmart in Whispering Pines, North Carolina. Bella was covered with ticks - her mother had been hit by a car, and there was nobody to take care of Bella.

My daughter raised Bella from a pup.

Bella was a good member of the pack.Here is Bella hanging out with Tiny, the Jack Russel Terrier.

I was out with Bella today - it was her off-leash time - then she broke and ran for a squirrel.

She never saw the truck that killed her.

All Good Dogs Go to Heaven. Bella is in Paradise now, chasing squirrels . . .

RAINBOW BRIDGE

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together . . . .

Puppy Dog wonders where is Bella-Boo . . . ? ? ?

I was going to do a Halloween post, with all those goofy photos of the doggies in their Halloween costumes. Due to this death in the family, Blog STORMBRINGER is suspending operations for 24 hours.

I can't lay claim to this piece of ingenuity: a friend & Charter Member of Team STORMBRINGER; Code Name CLADIDDLEHOPPER sent this in response to my piece on Racial Profiling:

I sent this in recognition of your post dealing with racial profiling. Of course, the Bernardine Dohrn questioning addresses a different aspect of profiling such as its fallacy but, oh well . . .

I think that like so many other things in life, profiling is a great thing in moderation. In Israel for instance, its highly depended upon for "initial assesments".

To those of you who like to throw the tired, old "racist" stereotype out there - be advised: CLADIDDLEHOPPER is an old comrade-in-arms going back to the early 90's, at one point he was the Equal Opportunity NCO for the US Army Special Operations Command, and without getting too personal I can tell you there is no way on God's Green Earth is he a racist - and neither is this post. In fact I bet right now there's a whole pack of soul brothers out there laughing their asses off because it's just . . . plain . . . FUNNY ! ! !

A friend and charter member of Team STORMBRINGER sent in the following . . . S.L.

I'm not sure that all the predictions in this article are true, but there is substantial reason to be concerned that if America does not reinvent itself , it will go the way of lost empires. I feel that there is still hope and that liberty and democracy will prevail in this brave new world. If America is to survive, it must reinvent itself and find a way to lead the global economy . . . .

le Grande Galerie en le Louvre en Ruin - Hubert Robert, 1796

There is a whiff of anarchy in the air this morning. As I sit here writing, a conservative victory in the midterm elections looms. But I find no reason to be optimistic. The midterm elections will solve nothing. The plain fact is that conservatives have lost the battle for America. The country that many of us were born in has ceased to exist. And we have no one to blame but ourselves. Nothing can or will change until we come to terms with the grim reality of moral degeneration. And I have no hope that this can happen, save by some terrible trial.

Last week in Oklahoma City, two pedestrians were run down by cars at the same intersection within a few hours. In one incident, the driver did not bother to stop, but continued driving as if nothing had happened. It was a horrific but perfect metaphor for the self-absorbed entitlement mentality that grips the country.

Every day, the news brings a startling new incident of moral corruption. A few days ago it was reported that an eighteen-year-old geology student at Arizona State University had starred in an online pornographic film in which she performed "explicit and degrading" sex acts for a one-time payment of $2,000. The young woman explained that she needed the money to supplement her scholarship, and then inexplicably proclaimed, "I have morals!"

We are a nation of gluttons. About one-third of adults in the U.S. are obese. To qualify as "obese," the average person has to be not just overweight, but carry an extra thirty-five pounds or more. In the last thirty years, the obesity rate in America has more than doubled. It is the sheerest irony that today, the average person has the choice of a multiplicity of fresh, wholesome, and nutritious foods, all available at the lowest prices in history. But choosing and preparing the best foods takes time and effort. We would rather stuff ourselves with fast food because it's tasty and convenient. The consequences of this slothful lifestyle include hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. After ruining our health through gluttony, we then go to our physicians and demand a quick fix in the form of a pill. Pharmaceutical companies are glad to oblige. And the government must pay, because free health care is now a "right."

There is no better index for America's moral degradation than television programming. Compare today's shows with those of a generation ago. Every episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" contained a short moral lesson, and "The Twilight Zone" challenged our intellects and stretched our imaginations. But entertainment and instruction have devolved into shock and novelty. The networks are locked in a downward spiral to see who can provide the most outrageous and offensive programming. It's not their fault. They're just giving the American people what they want.

Enough to scare ya straight, whaddya think huh?

Children are not as smart as their parents. The average child today spends thirteen hours watching television for every hour he spends reading. We blame teachers and schools for failing to educate our children. But what can they do with undeveloped and undisciplined minds that expect to be entertained and rebel at the labor of thought? The decline in intellectual aptitude is so dramatic that the authors of the SAT test have had to add a hundred points to the combined math and verbal score just to make current averages equal of those of a generation ago.

We are oblivious to the fact that our society is intellectually and artistically bankrupt. Modern art is not good enough to be bad. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci took four years to paint the Mona Lisa. He left the work unfinished because he was always seeking to add "perfection to perfection." Earlier this year, x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the way Leonardo created realistic flesh tones was by building up successive layers of pigments that were as thin as a few micrometers. A micrometer is a thousandth of a millimeter.

Compare Leonardo's work with that of the modern American artist Robert Ryman. Ryman began his career working as a security guard at a museum. The guard decided he wanted to become a painter, so he bought some white house paint and slathered it on a canvas. Art critics had orgasms. For decades, Ryman has continued to produce paintings that consist of nothing but monochrome white. The tones and textures vary, but most of Ryman's paintings consist of nothing but a plain white surface. Ryman has explained that he paints only white surfaces because he wants to "reduce visual disturbances." Imagine that the next time you're contemplating Michelangelo's "disturbances" on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The so-called "work" of Robert Ryman

The Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512

Our popular music is a painful cacophony of obnoxious dissonance. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. We have Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga. Is that progress? We have advanced technology, but do we use it to uplift ourselves? No, we indulge the animal side of our natures. The internet is mostly used for downloading pornography or playing video games.

In America today, everyone is entitled to everything. According to a recent report by NPR, the mentally retarded are now attending college and receiving grants. Professors are being advised (i.e., pressured) to modify their curricula to accommodate the new students. People incessantly demand entitlements and handouts. Every government intervention in the free-market system creates a fresh problem that demands another ruinous intervention with unintended consequences. Nobody is responsible for anything, and no one wants to pay the bills. And believe me, they're coming due.

In this brave new world, everyone has the right to not be offended, and no one can be held accountable for anything. The fundamental unit of human civilization, the family, has been caustically eroded by feminism. The divorce rate is fifty percent. Oklahoma is supposedly a conservative state. Last year, a state legislator introduced a bill that would require parents with minor children seeking a divorce to first undergo counseling. Not only was the bill not passed, but the legislator was derided and mocked. How dare anyone be required to undertake the work necessary to save a marriage for the sake of his or her children? Why, it might interfere with their pursuit of happiness.

We celebrate homosexuality and then wonder why sexually transmitted diseases are exploding. According to the CDC, men-who-have-sex-with-men make up only two percent of the population but account for 53 percent of all new HIV infections and 64 percent of all new syphilis cases.

I'm beginning to acquire an appreciation for Paul's doctrine of Original Sin. The nation that began with freedom of religion has progressed to freedom from religion, freedom from moral constraint, and freedom from responsibility. Just as Plato described in the Republic, the "horses and asses" are "marching along with all the rights and dignities of freemen," and the ultimate result can be only that "tyranny will spring from democracy."

Elections matter only in the short term. Every long-term social index I am aware of is negative. The plain fact is that the American people are too morally degenerate to be capable of effective self-government. The Roman satirist Juvenal understood. "The people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions and all else, now meddles no more and longs eagerly for just two things - bread and games!" I can find no reason to be optimistic. It is only our blind vanity that lets us pretend that the United States can endure forever. Rome fell, and so will America. For all intents and purposes, it is already over.

Piccadilly Lilly II Serial No. 44-83684 was the last active B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in the United States Air Force, and retired in 1959 after nine years as a DB-17P drone director. She is currently part of Edward T. Maloney's aviation collection and is being restored to flying condition at the Planes of Fame air museum, Chino, California.

This aircraft was possibly the last aircraft assigned to the 8th AF / 447th Bomb Group but perhaps not delivered.

This aircraft was used in the Dick Powell Theatre episode Squadron and The Quinn Martin production of Twelve O'Clock High starring Robert Lansing. She was redressed to represent the numerous aircraft which comprised the mythical 918th Bomb Group. She also appeared in The Thousand Plane Raid as well as Black Sheep Squadron.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

DEBKAfile's military and counter-terror sources confirm the WikiLeaks revelation that Iran developed camera-equipped suicide vests for al Qaeda attacks on US troops under the instruction of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Center in Tehran. Our sources have discovered that the Islamic Jihad's "Jerusalem Brigades" in the Gaza Strip have been equipped with those same SVIED (Suicide Vest Improvised Explosive Devices) and have transferred some to al Qaeda cells at large in the territory.

This sophisticated suicide vest is fitted with miniature cameras which enable the bomber to monitor and relay images of an attack before he reaches his target, our military sources report. The bomber can thus stay in close touch with, and receive instructions, from his handlers every step of the way and also obtain images of the environment he is entering and the obstacles ahead.

An Israeli officer told DEBKAfile that these mini-cameras "make it almost impossible for a suicide bomber to miss his aim. It makes him a human guided missile."

My Dad sends me every Urban Myth thats out there . . . I finally got him trained to confirm the stuff he distributes - this is Snopes confirmed, and it's just good situational awareness, even though it's from 2008:

Feel this worth passing along. With the holidays coming up, I can see where this could be a real problem.

The newest virus circulating is the UPS/Fed Ex/USPS Delivery Failure. You will receive an e-mail from UPS, Fed Ex, or USPS along with a packet number. It will say that they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date. It then asks you to print out the invoice copy attached. DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS - IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS! Pass this warning on to all your PC operators at work and home. This virus has caused millions of dollars in damage in the past few days. Snopes confirms that it is real.

Speaking publicly for the first time since being relieved of command in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal opened up at the Innovators Summit in New Orleans about WikiLeaks ("it's sad"), Afghan President Hamid Karzai ("a great partner"), and the "great danger" of the instant news cycle.

McChrystal talked about his move to alter counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, changing the use of air power and connecting with civilians at the local level. He made it a point, he said, to apologize personally to Karzai when an incident involving civilian casualties would occur. "Then, as events would occur that would test that trust, we had a reservoir to fall back on," he said.

At the summit, McChrystal denounced WikiLeaks release of 400,000 classified documents on Iraq, saying "individuals are making judgments about threats and information they are not qualified to make."

Monday, October 25, 2010

That's Medea Benjamin speaking with Bernadine Dohrn at the start of the clip.

What you are looking at here are American terrorists - no different than Timothy McVeigh or Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist who perpetrated the Ft. Hood shootings. The only difference is that they were not as effective, and they got off on a technicality. These murderous terrorist scum are seen here with their supporters - terrorist sympathizers.

This aircraft participated in the first large daylight raid on Berlin on 6 March 1944. It was later passed on to the 323BS in early April and subsequently downed by flak over 'Big B' on April 29. Only half the crew survived.

The art work was done by Tony Starcer, modeled after the Varga calendar girl:

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Recent headlines have spoken of negotiations between the U.S.-backedAfghanistan government and the Taliban, but senior Taliban commanderstell The Daily Beast's Mushtaq Yusufzai that high-level peace talks arenot happening. "This is another ploy by the enemy to divide theTaliban," says Maulvi Kabir, a member of the Taliban's Rahbari Shura, orleading council. However, the secret nature of the talks and thedecentralized structure of the Taliban make it difficult to tell whospeaks for whom.

Lt. General Boykin is well-known and well-respected within the Special Forces community. What he has to say in this video a real eye-opener:

"I'm a Green Beret, and I've studied Marxist insurgency, it was part of my training . . .

. . . and the things that have been done in ever Marxist insurgency, are being done in America today . . .

. . . What happened when people like Fidel Castro moved their societies toward Marxism is they've nationalized major sectors of the economy. Folks, that's what the bailouts were . . ."

Lt. General Boykin's comments are succinct and concise. He very clearly illustrates the sinister agenda behind the Healthcare legislation - stuff that I didn't know. If half our university professors were as informed and tuned in as Lt. General Boykin, our country probably wouldn't be in the mess we are in today. He is on it . . .